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0 5 a v Q ulu A. J. &-D. GOFPE. KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 22, 1859.

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2 pveraigr)?" IIIIIIIII\%\\ UN STATES PATENT O FFTCEEQ AUGUSTUS J. GOFFE AND DEMUS GOFFE, OF COHOES, NE\V YORK, ASSIGNORS TO DOYVNS & 00., OF SENECA FALLS, XEXV YORK.

KNITTING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,231, dated November 22, 18-59.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUSTUS J. Gorrn and DEMUS GorrE, of Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements on the Knitting-lvfachine for which Letters Patent were granted to us bearing the date of August 5, 1856; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings making part of this specification.

Figure 1, being a perspective view of a part of the revolving top plate A, a portion thereof being removed to show the needles. Fig. 2, is an elevation of the rotary presser and yarn layer M. Fig. 3, is a section thereof. Fig. 4, is an elevation of a modification of the presser adapted to forming open and ornamental work. Fig. 5, is an inverted view of a part of the revolving top plate, showing the variable antifriction cam for sliding the needles. Fig. 6, is an elevation of the friction brake for regulating the tension of the thread the standard of which is broken, a part being shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts in all the figures.

Our improvements relate first to laying the yarn and pressing the barb of the needle over it to insure its being drawn through the loop. Instead of employing for this purpose the stationary presser referred to by the letter D, in the drawings annexed to our patent, we use a rotary bur or pinion, M, having teeth corresponding in size with the interstices between the needles at the point where it is applied, which, by gearing with them, as the top plate A, to which it is pivoted, revolves, causes it to rotate and lay the thread so close the needles(the teeth by pressingit between them securing close contact with their upper surfaces,) as to insure its being drawn under the barbs as the needles are made to slide back by the eccentric groove.

The bottom of each space or groove between the teeth forms an inclined plane, as at a Fig. 3, which receives the barb of the needles and causes it to spring or close down into the eye while it is being drawn through the loop or stitch.

The teeth of the burresser have a greater projection on one side, forming a shoulder as at Z) Fig. 3, which serves to lay the thread in the proper position on the needles and to hold it firmly while the barb is drawn over it. The advantages of this method of laying the thread and pressing it within the barb of the needles are obvious, as acting with greater certainty, and accomplishing both the objects of laying the thread and bearing down the barbs at one operation, while it overcomes much friction which is inseparable from the stationary presser, and thereby effects a saving both in the power required and the wear of the machine.

The bur presser is capable of certain modifications which adapt it to producing a species of ornamental knitting which may be varied at pleasure by altering the arrangement of the teeth. A method of accomplishing this is shown by omitting the inclined planes, or deep-grooving the spaces in alternate pairs of the teeth as seen at 0 c Fig. 4. This produces openwork in the web wherever the inclined planes are omitted, as the space of two unformed stitches is left. By a proper arrangement of the teeth, and the number of needles, viz.,using a number of needles that may be divided by four and leave two remaining in order to form and omit two stitches alternately, or for omitting one stitch alternately, a number that will divide by two and leave one, the stitch-forming teeth will alternately take the position of the vacant teeth at each revolution, and thus produce an ornamental web, the design of which is capable of a great variety of changes. A pleasing effect may be produced by using two or more pressers formed in this manner each with yarn of different colors, and one alternating the stitches formed by the other.

A further improvement consists in constructing the groove, f, so as to be variable by means of the friction pulley g, and thumb screw 71.. By turning the thumb screw in one direct-ion pulley g is drawn outward from the center, and the eccentricity of the groove rendered greater and more acute, and vice versa. One side of the groove is formed by the slip of spring steel, is, which, by its pliability, adapts itself to the change of the pulley, and thus keeps the wall of the groove perfect. The movable pulley, 9 takes off the friction at the point where it is greatest,

while, by drawing it out as described, the needles are drawn farther back from the loop-forming stops 0 0. These stops, as shown in Fig. 1, are formed by the inner periphery of the grooved annular top-plate, A, in which the needles work, and consist of those portions of the plate which intervene between the grooves for the needles. Their oflice is to hold the loop (or stitch) while the barb of the needle, acted upon by the presser M, as previously described, is drawn through, so that said loop is dropped from the needle and becomes a part of the web. .It y vil], lpe borne in mind that the needle car- -laid' thread within its barb or hook, through the loop dropped off, thus forming another loop, and on the size or length of these loops depends the closeness of the web. Thus by turning the thumb-screws It so as to draw the pulley g outward, and thereby make the eccentricity of the groove 7", greater, the barb end of the needles is drawn farther back of or past the stops 0, the effect of which is to increase the length of the loops and make the web more loose and open. By adjusting the eccentricity of the groove in this manner the work may be enlarged or diminished as required, and when the yarn is uneven the knitting may be so regulated as to keep the size of the web uniform.

The pulley l is on a stationary axis and is employed to give easy motion to the needles as they pass the part of the groove at m, which has a curve of less radius intro duced in order to cause the needles to act quickly at this point to insure the drawing of the barbs over the thread while it is held down by the presser.

What we claim as our invention is 1. The rotary bur presser M, having inclined planes (4, between the teeth, in combination with sliding needles, arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose shown and described.

2. We also claim varying the eccentricity of the groove 7 by means of the movable pulley 9, spring is, adjusting screw it, and friction pulley Z, substantially in the manner, and for the purposes herein described.

AUGUSTUS J GOFFE. DEMUS GOFFE. Witnesses to Augustus J. Gofi'e:

A. MUNDY, J. S. FULLER. Witnesses to Demus Gofie:

HORACE B. SILLIMAN, I. P. HUBBELL. 

